Thera 4.8: Candana
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(194):Candana Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter IV. Four Verses =194. Candana= Reborn in this Buddha-age at Sāvatthī in a wealthy clan, and named Candana, he lived a domestic life till he 184 heard the Lord(Buddha) preach the Path(Dhamma); and became upon that a Stream-winner.1 When a child was born to him, he left his home for the Monk’s order, and taking an insight exercise, lived in the forest. Coming into Sāvatthī to salute the Lord(Buddha), he stayed in a charnel-field(cemetry). And his wife, hearing of his coming, decorated herself, and, taking her child and many attendants, approached him, judging that by her attractions she could induce him to secede from the Monk’s order. He, seeing her coming from afar, thought: 'Now will I get outside her reach!' And he so conjured up insight that he acquired sixfold abhiññā(higher knowledge). Upon that he rose up above, and so taught her the Path(Dhamma), establishing her in the Refuges and the Precepts. Then he went back to his former place. And when his bhikkhu(monk) comrades asked him, saying, 'Serene are you looking, Monk; what truths have you discerned?'2 he told of his achievement, and testified to aññā(supreme attainment) in these verses: ---- 299 Jātarūpena pacchannā dāsīgaṇapurakkhatā|| Aŋkena puttamādāya bhariyā maɱ upāgami.|| || 300 Taɱ ca disvāna āyantiɱ sakaputtassa mātaraɱ|| Alaŋkataɱ suvasanaɱ maccupāsaɱ'va oḍḍitaɱ.|| || 301 Tato me manasīkāro yoniso udapajjatha|| Ādīnavo pāturahu nibbidā samatiṭṭhatha.|| || 302 Tato cittaɱ vimucci me passa dhammasudhammataɱ|| Tisso vijjā anuppattā kataɱ buddhassa sāsananti.|| || ---- 299 In golden gear bedecked, with a troop of maids Attending her , and carrying the baby Upon her hip, my wife drew near to me. 300 I marked her coming, mother of my child, In brave array like trap of Mara(deathlord/devil) laid. 301 because of that arose in me the deeper thought:3 Attention to the fact and to the cause. The misery of it all was manifest; Distaste, indifference the mind possessed; 302 And so my heart was set at liberty. O see the seemly monk’s order of the Path(Dhamma)! The Threefold Wisdom have I made my own, And all the Buddha taught me to do is done. ---- 1 Or Sotapana, first samadhi of Nirvana. Hagiology. OED: The literature that treats of the lives and legends of saints. 2 Kacci tayā saccāni paṭividdhānīti? I commend this noble question to the attention of students in comparative hagiology. 3 Repeating verses 269, 270. ---- =4.9 194 Commentary on the stanza of Candanatthera= The stanza starting with Jatarūpena constitutes that of the venerable thera Candaṇa. What is the origin? This one too having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating acts of merit in this and that existence was reborn as a tree divinity in a world void of Buddha thirty one aeons (kappa) ago; he happened to have seen a silent buddha who was dwelling in the hills, became pious-minded and made his reverential offerings (of him) with Kuṭaja medicinal flowers. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths and was reborn in a wealthy family in Sāvatthi, when this Buddha arose; having gained the name Sandana, he, on having come of age was leading the life of a householder, when, on having heard the teaching of the truth (dhamma) in the presence of the Master, became a stream winner (sotāpanna). Having gained a son, he gave up his household life, became a monk, collected his mental exercise (kammaṭṭhāna) for developing spiritual insight (vipassanā), and was dwelling in the forest; to pay his homage to the Master, he reached Sāvatthi and dwelt in the cemetry. On having heard of his arrival, his former wife, who had dressed up and adorned herself, went to the presence of the thera with her large retunue taking her young son along, saying to herself; “I shall disrobe (him) after having enticed (palobhetvā) with my feminine wiles and so on.” On having seen her coming even from afar, the thera indulged in, intently, the developing of insight (vipassanā) according as had been begun (by him), saying to himself: “Now, I shall become one outside her sphere (visaya)” and become an Arahant with six sorts of higher-knowledge (abhiññā). Thus, has it been said in the Apadāna.-- “Not far from Himavanta, there was a hill, named Vāsala; a silent buddha, named Sudassana, dwelt inside the hill. Having caught hold of the Himavanta flower, I went up the sky where I met the self-awakened silent buddha, the canker-free, who had crossed the flood. Taking the kuṭaja medicinal flower with me, I made my hands clasped on my head, and made my offering to the silent buddha, the self-dependent great sage. It was thirtyone aeons (kappa) ago, that I made my special reverential offering to the silent buddha; I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of my reverential offering to the silent buddha. My depravity had been burnt … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” Having, however, become an Arahant with six sorts of higher-knowledge, the thera stood in the sky, taught the truth (dhamma) to her, made her become established in the refuges (saraṇa) and moral precepts (sīla), and himself went away but to the place where he had resided. When asked by his associate monks thus: “Indeed, O friend! Your senses (indriyāni) are placidly pleasant (vippasannāni); how is it? Have the (noble) truths been aptly penetrated (paṭividdhāni) by you?,” he revealed his Arahantship (aññā) by means of these stanzas, in order to speak of his own proper performance. 299. “Adorned (sañchannā) with gold, surrounded by a crowd of she-slaves, carrying her son on her hip (anka), (my old) wife approached me. 300. “Having seen her, the mother of my own son, well dressed and adorned, coming (āyantiṃ) similar to a snare set by death (maccu). 301. “Consequent upon that there arose by making of wise (yoniso) mindfulness; disadvantage became evident (pāturahu) and disgust stood up well. 302. “Consequently my mind became emancipated; behold the good nature (dhammatā) of the truth (dhamma); I have accordingly attained threefold higher-knowledge (vijjā); Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” There, jātarūpena sañchannā means: aptly covered body by way of adorning with such adornments as ornaments reaching (upaga) the head (sīsa) etc., adorned with all ornaments; thus, is the meaning. Dāsīgaṇapurakkhatā means: made to be at their forefront and surrounded by crowds of her own she-slaves well-dressed and decorated commensurate with their worth; thus, is the meaning. Aṅkena puttamādāya means: having brought (my son) at her hip thinking to herself: “Perhaps, having seen, namely, the son, (the father) might become agreeably (sāta) dependent on (assita) the house.” Āyantiṃ means: coming (āgacchantiṃ). Sakaputtassa mātaraṃ means: the mother (jananī)of my bosom son; my former wife, thus, is the meaning. Yoniso udapajjatha means: “Such a prosperity as this is overwhelmed by old age, disease and death; indeed, confections (saṅkhāra) are impermanent, inconstant and unable to afford comfort (na assāsikā), thus, there arose, in this manner, wise (yoniso) making of mindfulness. The rest is but in the manner said before (heṭṭa). The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Candana is complete. ----